Experts see Delta-Northwest Deal Winning Favor

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department pledges to take a lookat how the proposed merger of Northwest and Delta will affectconsumers. Some lawmakers railing against the proposed combinationsay the deal would hurt competition and lead to higher airfares.But Congress has little power to stop a transaction that antitrustexperts expect to be approved this year. The airlines say they want to complete the transaction by yearend, in the closing window provided by the presence of the Bushadministration, which is seen as largely merger friendly. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to say when thedepartment would review the deal. Experts say there's little overlap in the routes served byNorthwest and Delta. That, combined with the recent bankruptcyfilings by four smaller carriers, is seen boosting the chances thatregulators will give their blessing.

Comments may be monitored for inappropriate content, but the station is under no legal obligation to do so.
If you believe a comment violates the above rules, please use the Flagging Tool to alert a Moderator.
Flagging does not guarantee removal.

Multiple violations may result in account suspension.
Decisions to suspend or unsuspend accounts are made by Station Moderators.
Questions may be sent to comments@kbtx.com.
Please provide detailed information.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.